


The Scarf and the Sunshine Girl

by Melui



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Kara eats a lot, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Set in London, SuperCorp, Supercorp endgame, karlena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21852541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melui/pseuds/Melui
Summary: Lena Luthor is in London at Christmastime for business. While in a coffee shop, she loses her beloved scarf. Kara Danvers, a sunny barista on a semester abroad, finds it and returns it to her. Interest is sparked on both sides, but will Lena's self-doubt get in their way?
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 43
Kudos: 866





	The Scarf and the Sunshine Girl

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gravy_noodles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravy_noodles/gifts).



> This was supposed to be a 3,000 word fluffy Christmas fic, but Lena unexpectedly lost her scarf, and then the story grew legs!

As the wind created by the approaching underground train tossed her hair around like the snakes on Medusa’s head, Lena Luthor cursed her forgetfulness. This morning, she’d left her hair ties in the dish next to the hotel room door, and now her hair was a state. The air was hot, stale, and smelled of the thousands of people dressed for the cold weather outside and who were now all sweating under the layers of clothes they couldn’t be bothered to remove. Lena couldn’t blame them; she was still dressed in her thick pea coat herself. The thought of taking it off only to have to put it back on again in less than ten minutes seemed pointless. She’d just put up with it and boil, the same as everyone else down here in the warren of tunnels, trains, and stations.

Lena hated the London Underground. Oh, on some levels, she loved the Tube, as it was called in the U.K. She admired the Victorian engineering behind it, the grit and determination, the imagination that wouldn’t be tempered. She had one of Beck’s original Tube maps framed on her wall at home. If she could one day build something as ground-breaking, literally, and as lasting as the London Underground, something so essential that it was replicated worldwide, she could die happy. It was an engineering masterpiece. Or at least, the idea of it was.

No, what she hated about the Tube was actually having to force her way through the crowded platforms at Oxford Circus on the evening of the last Friday before Christmas. Her briefcase had nearly been knocked out of her hand too many times for her to count. She hated the people who stood on the left of the escalators, hampering everyone else’s progress, the way the trains were so packed that you couldn’t even hold a book in front of your face without elbowing someone, or… the smell. So many hot bodies all confined in one small space and sneezing on each other. Lena wrinkled her nose.

The train slowed to a stop and the doors fortuitously opened right in front of her. Lena stepped back to allow the passengers off before pushing her way into the carriage. Thankfully, she only had one stop to go, before she changed lines, and then two more stops. After that, she could make her way back to the Berkeley hotel and her blessedly quiet, empty suite.

The thought of a taking a long, hot bath after the day she’d had was all that was getting her through the final parts of it. Lena was in London for a business meeting with an investor whose team would deal with nobody but her. L-Corp was trialing some new types of robotics for surgeries including coronary artery bypasses and hip replacements that were more efficient and, so far, safer than what was currently on the market. Years of research and development had led up to this point, and Lena was pleased with how the meeting had gone, despite the fact that it had ground on for six grueling hours.

Worse, in a moment of festive cheer, she’d let her driver have the evening off after she’d realized her meeting was going to be more than twice as long as she’d thought it was going to be. Frank was now enjoying his first trip to London, so she couldn’t bring herself to regret it, but her feet were killing her after all the walking and standing she’d been doing since the meeting finished.

The train slowed down sharply upon reaching Green Park, and someone lost their balance and stood on her aching foot. “It’s fine,” she mumbled as the man stuttered an apology, even though it really wasn’t fine. As she readjusted her stance, the speakers crackled to life as the driver prepared to make an announcement.

“Uh, ladies and gentlemen, due to signal failures-” Lena caught the eyes of a woman opposite her “-the Piccadilly line services from Green Park will be severely delayed until further notice.” Anything the driver said after that point was lost to Lena, who stopped paying attention. The reasons didn’t matter; the fact of it was, she’d have to walk from Green Park to her hotel, a distance of at least fifteen minutes in the freezing cold and on busy, icy pavements. In her heels.

Lena suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It wouldn’t help. She filed off the train with hundreds of other disgruntled passengers and made her way up to the street, checking the directions using her phone.

She pulled her dark red scarf, the last gift she’d received from Lex and therefore treasured, tighter around her neck. The thought of Lex sent a familiar bolt of pain through her, and the hand that gripped her briefcase tightened before she set off down the street. Within seconds, her bruised feet were protesting once again, and Lena grit her teeth. _Just a little while longer_ , she told herself as she dodged around the slower walkers and tourists taking photos. Her exposed hand was freezing and she jammed the other hand as deep in her pocket as it could go.

Despite the fact that her hotel was really only minutes away, when Lena passed a brightly-lit coffee shop tucked away just around a corner, she slowed her pace and looked in. It was cheery, decorated with wood and tiny Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. Stopping altogether, Lena peered through the slightly fogged glass and spotted a Christmas tree with some boxed presents under it, surrounded by tables full of people with steaming drinks and plates of snacks. But what made her consider going in was the fact that only one person was in the queue. She could have a warm drink _now_ instead of waiting until she got to her hotel. And maybe something to eat.

She felt, rather than heard, her stomach growl. The meeting had been grueling, and for the entirety of the time, she’d eaten nothing but a stale donut and picked at a wilted salad drowned in so much vinaigrette that it was, essentially, inedible.

The decision was made for her when someone opened the door of the coffee shop and Lena was surrounded by the heady scent of cinnamon, sweet pastries, and chocolate. She was through the door before it closed, and was immediately enveloped in warmth. She felt herself relax instantly, and she let out a happy sigh as she made her way to the counter, eyeing the specials on the board above the coffee machines.

She was so engrossed in choosing which hot chocolate she wanted that she startled when someone poked her gently in the back. Before she could turn around, she heard a friendly “hi, can I help?” coming from the direction of the counter, and a pointing hand appeared over her shoulder.

“Thanks, sorry,” she murmured, before moving up to the counter and looking up into blue eyes.

Eyes so blue that Lena immediately thought of the natural pools she’d visited last year in the Greek islands. The sounds of the coffee shop faded. All of her attention was held by those eyes looking curiously back at her. The woman who owned them was smiling warmly at her, and her blonde hair was held up behind her head in a messy twist. Lena doubted that she’d ever seen a face so approachable and welcoming in her whole life. She felt her stomach flip over as that smile widened at Lena’s sudden indecision.

“Uh,” Lena said, her voice low and thick in her throat. She cleared it, and tried again. “A gingerbread hot chocolate with extra cinnamon, and a pain au chocolat, please,” she said, her voice still a little gravelly. She felt a blush creep up the back of her neck that she hoped would be hidden by her makeup should it reach her face. _Get it together, Lena_.

The blonde leaned over the counter slightly, resting on her forearms, as if she was about to impart a secret. The short sleeves of the work shirt she was wearing did nothing to hide the extremely well-toned arms on full display, and Lena couldn’t help herself; she leaned forward towards her. _You big gay mess_ , she chastised herself.

She forced her eyes away from the blonde’s arms and towards her name tag, which read _Kara_.

“Would you like cream and marshmallows with that?” Kara asked in an American accent, her eyes reflecting the twinkly lights on the ceiling and making them sparkle. _Fuck, she’s beautiful_.

“Yes please,” Lena croaked.

Kara winked conspiratorially, causing Lena’s heart to thunder against her rib cage, before standing up straight. “You got it. The most comforting drink in the world coming up. Do you want skimmed, semi-skimmed, or full fat?” she called over her shoulder.

Lena cleared her throat and hoped her voice would come out normally. “Um, semi please,” Lena replied, watching as Kara started scooping shaved chocolate out of a pot. Thank goodness. _At least I sound reasonably put together now_.

“Sure,” Kara said, pouring it into the jug before sticking the steamer into it. “It took me a while to learn to say skimmed and not skim. And now I can’t go back,” she joked, turning sideways so she could look at Lena as she listened to the milk heat up. Lena smiled at her.

“I usually have skim… skimmed, milk, at home,” Lena admitted. “But it’s absolutely freezing outside and I think I’m allowed to treat myself a little.”

“Oh, definitely,” Kara said. “What’s the point of freezing weather if you can’t ward it off with a good hot chocolate?” Kara turned back to the milk once it reached the temperature she was looking for. “Where’s home, if you don’t mind me asking? Your accent is a little… ambiguous. It’s interesting.”

Ordinarily, Lena wouldn’t dream of divulging personal information to a stranger, but something in Kara’s warm voice lowered her defenses. After all, what difference could a barista in London possibly make to her life back home?

“I live in National City, California,” Lena ventured as Kara bent over and pulled a tub of whipped cream out of the fridge, and plucking a spoon out of a tub next to her.

“No kidding! That’s where I’m from!” Kara exclaimed excitedly. “Are you serious? What are the odds? I miss it so much.” Kara stuck the spoon into the cream and scooped a large dollop out for Lena’s hot chocolate. “I’m actually here finishing up a semester for college. Fine art and art history,” she volunteered as she sprinkled tiny marshmallows over the top of the cream, and piling a few on the saucer.

“Really?”

“Yup,” Kara replied, grabbing a long spoon and setting it next to the marshmallows. Kara brought it over to the counter and leaned over it again, sliding the drink over towards Lena. “Aside from my sister, I miss the potstickers from Auntie Wu’s the most. If you like Chinese food, you should check them out,” she said with a wide smile. “Tell them Kara Danvers sent you.”

“I’ll do that,” Lena replied with a smile of her own, reaching out to take the drink and saucer. “How much do I owe you?”

Kara’s face turned a little pink and she waved a hand in the air. “Nothing. This one’s on me.”

“Oh!” Lena said. “I couldn’t possibly-”

“Of course you can,” Kara interrupted. “I don’t often get to talk to someone from National City. It’s been nice, even if I did most of the talking,” Kara added with another wink, causing a blush to creep up Lena’s own cheeks. Kara had, indeed, done most of the talking. “It’ll be worth it if Auntie Wu gets some more business out of it.”

Lena raised an eyebrow at Kara, before reaching deep in her pocket for a tiny wallet that contained only a few credit cards and some emergency cash. Pulling a £50 note from it and causing Kara’s eyes to widen, she stuffed it into the tip jar.

“I- uh,” Kara stuttered. “You didn’t have to do that, um-”

“Well, I could, and I did. I can’t do much with the currency back home. And this’ll be the only hot chocolate I’ll be drinking in London anyway since I’m going home at the crack of dawn on Sunday,” Lena said, feeling a little sad at the thought of it. And, was it her imagination, but had Kara’s face fallen just a little at her words? The few minutes’ conversation she’d had with Kara had been, and Lena was loathe to admit it even to herself, the only one she’d had in a while that was entirely without pretense. Lena felt stupid. She didn’t even know this woman, but the warmth Kara exuded was something Lena felt reluctant to let go of. But let go she must, and she did.

Kara nodded, still looking a little incredulous at the large tip. “If you take a seat, I’ll bring your pastry over to you, once I’ve warmed it up a little. You really look like you’re freezing.”

“I am. Thank you,” Lena said, moving away so that someone else could take their turn at the counter. She watched as Kara’s eyes lingered on her for a few seconds longer than would normally be polite, and then slid to the next person in line. Lena turned away as she heard Kara give them a friendly greeting, and looked for a place to sit.

She made her way over to an empty table near the Christmas tree, and set her drink and briefcase down on top of it. She unwound her scarf, draping it over the chair, before shrugging her coat off and sitting down. She lifted her feet briefly off the ground, entirely relieving the pressure from her shoes, and groaned in pleasure, closing her eyes.

Lena opened her briefcase and pulled her laptop out so that she could do some debriefing notes from the meeting earlier. The business proposals and scientific articles provided by her investors today were also brought out, covered in the notes that she’d made throughout the day. The meeting was so long today that the one they were meant to have tomorrow had been cancelled, leaving her free. She figured it made sense to pull it all together now while it was all still fresh in her head. If she got it all done now, she would reward herself with a longer bath later and a few more chapters of the book she was making her way through. She could have a lie in tomorrow. Smiling at the thought of it, Lena got to work.

She was just listing some follow-up questions when Kara appeared over her shoulder, holding a plate with two pastries on it and a muffin.

“I only ordered the-” she started.

“I know,” Kara interrupted with a cheeky smile, “but you gave us a £50 tip so this was really the least that I could do. We’re closing in an hour anyway so the more of these that get eaten, the better.”

“Oh,” Lena said in surprise, “thank you.”

“Where should I…” Kara said, looking down and gesturing vaguely at the mess Lena had made of the table. Between her laptop, notebook, pens, and various articles spread out everywhere, there was nowhere for Kara to put the plate down. The blonde’s eyes were crinkled in amusement as she smiled down at Lena.

“Oh,” Lena said again, and internally cursed herself for her lack of vocabulary. She somewhat aggressively tucked some of her hair behind her ears and made a pile of the articles and proposals, shifting them all to the side to make room for the plate. “Here’s fine.”

Kara set the plate down carefully, making sure not to get any icing sugar on any of Lena’s papers. “That’s a lot of work.”

Lena huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

Kara hovered for a moment, as if she had something else that she wanted to say. Lena waited her out, taking in the flour and coffee stains that littered the blonde’s apron, and the hand print in what looked like chocolate that adorned her right hip. She felt long dormant butterflies start up inside her as she watched Kara blatantly appraise her.

“I- I’m… um, okay, I’ll leave you to it,” Kara eventually said in a low voice, in a way that made Lena think that it wasn’t what she was going to say. She felt oddly disappointed.

“Thanks for bringing these over,” Lena said quietly, and Kara nodded. Their gaze held for a moment longer before Kara visibly started as if she’d been shocked, gave a small little wave, and went back to the counter.

Lena sighed. She wasn’t a stranger to people checking her out, but instead of it feeling lascivious as it usually did, it had felt… nice, and Lena felt an inconvenient spark of interest. Kara was certainly beautiful, and she seemed sweet, not to mention bubbly, but she lived in London at the moment, and Lena lived in California. She was also Lena _Luthor_ , which tended to be the dating equivalent of a lead balloon. Distrust, or outright dislike, of her seemed to be instinctive the second people heard her name, and while she accepted the fact, it didn’t make her feel any less lonely.

She rolled her eyes at herself. Nothing was going to come of the interested looks between herself and the cute barista.

For the next forty-five minutes, Lena worked solidly, sipping her hot chocolate and eating her sweet treats, and occasionally looking up at the counter. Kara was always busy doing something, starting to close the shop, Lena supposed. But once, she caught her eye and waved to her again, and Lena felt herself blush from her head right down to her feet at being caught staring.

At five minutes to eight, most of the customers bundling up in their coats to leave the coffee shop. Lena shut down her laptop, having finished almost all of her notes, and packed everything away. She pulled on her coat and sent one last glance towards the counter, but she didn’t see Kara, who must have been out in one of the back rooms. Swallowing the slight feeling of sadness at not being able to see the blonde’s friendly face one more time, she picked up her briefcase and swept out of the building towards her hotel.

She walked fast, covering the distance between the coffee shop and the hotel quickly, and started to make her way through the hotel up to her suite. She tried to push Kara out of her mind; after all, it wasn’t like she was likely to see her again. She tried not to think about how the blonde’s happy face and subsequent presence had made her feel less lonely, even just for that hour they’d existed in the same space. It was pathetic, Lena chastised herself. She was a barista in a coffee shop in a city that she didn’t live in. She didn’t know Kara, and Kara didn’t know her. How lame must her life be, if the one friendly face of a stranger had made her feel warm inside, just for a moment?

One tall, toned, very beautiful stranger. Her mind tossed her an image of Kara leaning over the counter again, and she shook herself out as she stepped into the elevator.

Pushing the thought of the blonde to one side, she rode the elevator to her floor. She’d chosen one of the largest suites, mostly so that she could guarantee herself a little more peace and quiet. It also meant she had that rather large bath she couldn’t wait to climb into. She let herself into the suite, unceremoniously dropped her stuff on the breakfast table and peeled her coat off.

Lena took great pleasure in kicking her heels across the room with a dramatic flick of each leg, watching as they clattered against the bed. She laughed to herself as she wondered what the L-Corp board members would think if they saw her doing something so childish.

Lena opened the taps on the bath and called room service, ordering dinner to her room for two hours’ time; Lena was no stranger to late dinners what with her long days at L-Corp. She peeled off her clothes, poured herself a glass of deep red wine, and climbed into the still-filling bath with her book. She leaned back and rested her head against a towel she’d laid on the rim. She was almost entirely submerged in hot water and four chapters into her book when her hand drifted up to brush away a hair that was tickling her neck.

And then she sat up so quickly that the water sloshed everywhere. Her neck. Her scarf. The scarf _Lex_ had given her. She didn’t remember taking it off when she got back to the hotel. Abruptly, she stood up and climbed out of the bath, pulling the towel around herself without knotting it. Lena went back to the bedroom to look for it, leaving a trail of wet footprints as the warm water ran down her skin onto the carpet. The scarf wasn’t there, and she felt faintly nauseous as an empty feeling swooped through her and settled in her stomach.

Had she left it at the coffee shop? Was it still there, or did someone pick it up and take it with them? Had she put it on badly and it had fallen off, lost somewhere on the icy London streets? Had it blown away and caught in a tree somewhere, abandoned, as lost and lonely as Lena always felt she was?

She felt a lump in her throat as she thought of the scarf, somewhere out in the world, instead of with her. It was the last Christmas present that she’d ever received from Lex. He was the one bright spot in her dark childhood, always making sure she was happy, always making sure that she had at least one gift on Christmas morning. Lillian certainly never gave her anything, even as a child, but Lex always did. Even during the years when he had been descending into madness, there was always a gift under the tree for her, reminding her of the kind brother she’d had growing up.

When he’d given her the scarf, he’d been with her. His cheeks were sunken, the shadows under his eyes dark and unforgiving. But the anger in his eyes had faded as he wound the scarf around Lena’s neck, just a few short years ago. It was a soft, dark red cashmere scarf (“ _just enough color to counter all that black you love so much, little sister_ ”), large, wide, and warm. Around the hems, it was decorated with tiny chemistry beakers and goggles, and physics symbols. She suspected that Lex had it specially made just for her, the last vestiges of love he’d had within him reserved for his little sister.

Before he’d gone over the edge just weeks later.

Before he’d been lost to her forever.

The guilt and the sorrow of the loss of the scarf clawed at her heart in a way that felt almost physical. To anyone else, it would be just an unusual scarf. But it was more than that for her. Lena didn’t have many sentimental possessions, having grown up in a family that was as unfeeling as they came, but… she had this. And now she’d lost it, just like she’d lost Lex, and in an awful way it felt like she was losing him all over again.

She checked the time on her phone, seeing it was far too late to go back to the coffee shop to check there as it would’ve closed. But a few minutes later, clothes pulled over her still wet body and feet stuffed into the only pair of sneakers she’d brought with her, Lena was out on the street, walking up and down between her hotel and the coffee shop. She looked everywhere, up alleyways, around trash cans and dumpsters, in the trees that lined the roads, even through the windows of the now-dark coffee shop out of desperation.

Lena couldn’t find it. She felt the freezing air sting her face, as well as the tear trails that she didn’t manage to wipe away quickly enough. As she walked back to the Berkeley hotel, dejection thrummed in every fiber of her body. Her only chance now was to go back to the coffee shop in the morning, on the off-chance she’d left it there. Logically, she knew it was the most likely place it would be, but her grief tossed her images of the scarf thrown into bins, in a landfill site, or on the ground, trampled, muddy and wet. Her heart broke at the thought of it.

When she got back to her hotel room, she emptied the still-warm bath, and picked her book up off the side. It had been sitting in a puddle that she’d created as she’d sloshed her way out of the bath earlier. Sighing, she set it on the nearest radiator to dry.

Lena sat on one of the chairs at the breakfast table, and logged in to her phone. A few moments later, she blew out a frustrated breath. Looking up the opening times of the coffee shop was fruitless, because she hadn’t bothered to check the name of it when she’d been there earlier. She cursed when she realized that it wouldn’t even be on her mobile banking app, because she’d not even paid for anything. Lena tossed her phone onto the bed and scowled, resolving to go to the coffee shop very early in the morning. Surely the coffee shop would want to be open early to catch commuters, so she decided to be there before the rush hour began in earnest.

She spent the rest of the evening trying to put the scarf out of her thoughts. She reasoned with herself and understood that there was nothing she could do about it until the morning, but the idea of it sat in the corner of her mind, distracting her. She couldn’t concentrate on her work, so she gave that up in favor of watching something mindless, but nothing on the TV helped. When her dinner came, it tasted of nothing; she’d lost her appetite anyway.

Eventually, her mood thunderous, she threw the cushions off the bed and climbed into it, making a nest for herself with the over-sized duvet. Despite her mind racing a mile a minute, the long day she’d had caught up to her quickly, and she was asleep within minutes.

* * * * *

At 5:45am, Lena’s alarm blared from her phone, and she slapped blindly at it on the nightstand where she’d left it. Once it had stopped, she pulled it into the bed with her and peered blearily at it, pushing her hair off her face and groaning. At home in National City, it was just 9:45pm, and as she was looking at her phone, a text came through from her best, and only real, friend, Samantha Arias. Even though her mind was still fogged with sleep, Lena smiled.

 **Sam:** _Knowing you, you’re already up and working on the documents from yesterday. How’d it go? :)_

In addition to being the most trusted person in Lena’s life, Sam was also the CFO of L-Corp and had a 15-year old daughter, Ruby. Lena adored both of them, and Ruby called her Auntie Lena whenever she saw her, which made Lena squirm with joy.

 **Lena:** _It went well! There’s a lot to think about, but they’re on board for all of it. And you’re right, I am already up. I hope your evening is going well._

 **Sam:** _Don’t work too hard. I know you. Take some time and go out and enjoy London at Christmastime. Ruby told me to tell you she wants you to bring home a big, red London bus. I told her it wouldn’t fit in your luggage, so a tin shaped like one of them might be a bit easier!_

 **Lena:** _You’re right, an entire bus would be difficult to explain to customs!_

 **Sam:** _Sooooo have you met any girls with cute British accents?_

Lena rolled onto her back with her phone in her hand and thought about Kara, her blue eyes, and her coffee-stained apron. If she wasn’t so worried about her scarf, she would find time to be excited about the thought of possibly seeing her when she went to the coffee shop. Sighing, she lifted her phone up and text Sam again.

 **Lena:** _No, but I did meet a girl from National City. Actually, I think I left my scarf in her coffee shop, so I’m going back there later to see if someone handed it in._

 **Sam:** _Lena Luthor, you are a hot gay mess. Did you do that on purpose so that the pretty barista could find it?_

 **Lena:** _How do you know she was pretty?_

 **Sam:** _You wouldn’t have mentioned her if she wasn’t!_

 **Lena:** _I should feel affronted. I’m not that shallow!_

 **Sam:** _No, you’re not, but you also never mention girls, so I’m taking the opportunity while I have it :)_

Lena smiled at her phone. Sam was a sweetheart and one of the best people she’d ever met. The chances of Sam teasing her mercilessly were high if Lena lingered on the topic of Kara, so she let Sam know that she’d call her when it was a more appropriate time for both of them and crawled out of bed.

She showered quickly and washed her hair, giving only her roots a quick blow dry so that she didn’t soak her hat through. She dressed casually, opting for comfort over presentation, and stuck her card purse into her pocket, along with her phone. Lena added the barest touch of makeup and mascara, sticking her eyeliner in her coat pocket in case she needed it later for whatever reason. The last thing to go on was a red, fluffy bobble hat that Ruby had given her for Christmas the year before, insisting that it would go well with her dark hair.

The elevator took forever to get to the lobby, and Lena walked quickly through the quiet lobby and out into the frigid morning air. If it was possible, it was even colder than it had been the night before. It was still mostly dark, and Lena could see her breath floating away in clouds. She jammed her hands deep into her pockets and wondered, not for the first time, why she hadn’t bothered to bring any gloves with her on this trip.

By walking slowly, she avoided the icy slicks on the pavement and made her way down the street to the coffee shop. The hotel had been quiet, but the street was surprisingly busy for 7am. It was a Saturday morning, and Lena passed more than a few people who clearly hadn’t been home yet. There were also a fair amount of business people rushing past carrying briefcases and folders. Lena supposed that, like L-Corp, London never shut down when there was business to be done, or money to be made.

The closer she got to the coffee shop, the more nervous she came. Talking with Sam and getting ready this morning had both successfully distracted her, but now that she was on her way to her final chance at finding her scarf, the sick feeling had returned full force. The adrenaline ran through her body, causing Lena to want to shake her hands out every few steps.

When she reached the coffee shop, she took in the name of it, _the Corner Coffeehouse_ , before looking through the doors. They were open, busy, and there was a long queue. Lena pushed the door open, apologizing to the couple sitting near the door for blasting them with cold air, and joined the queue. She looked around for Kara, but she couldn’t see her. She waited anxiously in line, listening to the quiet classical music that was being piped through the shop, and tried to hope against hope.

She eventually reached the front of the queue, and moved forward to greet the smiling barista, who had called out to her in a Scottish accent.

“Hi, Alice,” she said, reading the name from the girl’s name tag. “I was here last night and I think I left my scarf here. It was a red cashmere one and-”

“Ah, you’re the pretty businesswoman Kara mentioned,” Alice stated, causing Lena to swallow any other words she was going to say. “She has your scarf.” Lena let out a deep breath that she didn’t know she’d been holding, and her grip on the corner of the counter relaxed.

“Really?” she asked, feeling like her entire body was sagging in relief.

Alice nodded, her short hair falling in front of her eyes. “Yeah. She sent me a text this morning to say that you live in the same city back home so she was going to bring it to you there if you didn’t come back here and… leave a message for, um, Auntie Wu? I hope you know what she means. Actually, let me just text her now,” Alice said, checking the queue behind Lena and wiping her hand on her apron before pulling her phone out of her pocket. Lena was amazed at the speed her fingers moved across the keys.

As Alice was putting it back in her pocket and looking back up at Lena, it buzzed with a reply. Alice glanced at it, before pulling a glass towards her. “She said she’s going to come here with it now.”

“At this time?” Lena asked incredulously.

“Yeah, she’s always up this early. She’s a morning person, don’t ask me why,” Alice said in a tone that said she clearly thought Kara was mad.

Lena felt herself relax. Kara was coming with her scarf.

“She also said you’ve pre-paid for a gingerbread hot chocolate and a pain au chocolat, so I’ll make them and bring them over. Take a seat anywhere you like,” Alice said, smiling at her.

Lena realized that her mouth was gaping open, and shut it with a snap. “Thank you,” she replied, and looked around. The same table she’d sat at the night before was free, so she sat there, making sure she put nothing but her coat on her seat this time. Her hat went on the table where she could see it. She glared at it for a moment, as if daring it to go missing too.

Alice came by with her hot chocolate and her pastry after just a few minutes, and told her that Kara would be about half an hour, and left Lena to her own devices. Lena read the news on her phone, checked L-Corp’s stocks, and sent her assistant Jess a few emails about next week while she waited.

Forty minutes later when the coffee shop door opened, Lena looked up to see Kara standing just inside, scanning the room for someone. For her. Lena stood up, and the movement caught Kara’s eye. The sight of Lena caused Kara’s face to break into the widest, most genuine smile that Lena had ever seen, and the _pretty businesswoman_ comment Alice had made to her earlier popped into her mind. _Kara thought she was pretty?_ Lena felt her heart rate pick up from more than just her worry.

The blonde was all bundled up against the cold in a black padded coat, her cheeks pink from the frigid air outside. She had a dark green bobble hat over her loose, wavy blonde hair, which Lena thought looked… adorable. She sighed wistfully at her badly-timed crush; this was really just her luck.

Never let it be said that Lena Luthor made things easy for herself.

Kara made her way over to her quickly. “Hi!” she announced loudly, when she reached Lena. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name yesterday, but, here,” she paused, pulling a satchel bag around her torso and digging through it. “I found this yesterday while I was cleaning up and I remembered it because you looked so… ah, from when you came in,” she said, her cheeks turning red. “Yes! Here it is!”

For a moment, Lena couldn’t look, and her stomach dropped. What if it was the wrong scarf? What if it wasn’t-

And then Kara was triumphantly holding out Lena’s scarf, physics symbols and all, and Lena felt her eyes well with unexpected tears. She swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat, and reached out for it. The second she touched it, the tears spilled silently down her cheeks.

The smile on Kara’s face vanished as concern took over. She directed Lena into her chair and pulled out the one opposite, moving it so that she could sit next to Lena.

“Hey, are you alright?” she asked, as Lena wrapped the scarf around her neck and let out a shaky breath.

“Y-yes, I…” Lena choked out, before clearing her throat and continuing, hearing her voice quavering. “I uh, this is… I’m sorry, this must seem really stupid,” Lena said.

“Not at all. Things have meanings,” Kara replied, her voice kind.

“I’m just… really relieved that you found it. This scarf means a lot to me,” Lena murmured, running her fingers along the edge of it.

“I can tell,” Kara said with another of her smiles.

“It was the last gift I got from my brother before I lost him.” Kara made a sudden, sharp movement, as if she was going to reach for Lena, before she thought better of it. “I never had much experience with Christmas growing up, but he always made sure to give me a gift, and this was the last one.” She paused, not knowing what else she could really say. “Kara, thank you so much for bringing it back for me this morning, despite the very early hour. I’m not sure I would’ve thought to go to Auntie Wu’s,” Lena admitted, changing the subject.

“Ah yeah, that wasn’t my smartest idea to be honest,” Kara said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Actually… now that I think about it, it was really rather stupid! It’s just that we live in the same city, so I thought I could’ve just got it back to you there, somehow. Even though I don’t know your name or where you live. Oh. I promise I’m not a stalker. I worked a double yesterday and really wasn’t thinking straight by the time I got home,” Kara finished, and passed her hand over her face to hide what looked like embarrassment.

Despite the fact that she didn’t know Kara at all, Lena found that she preferred it when the blonde was smiling. And even more than that, she found that she wanted to throw caution to the wind, just for today, and be the cause of her smile.

After all, Kara didn’t know who she was. Kara didn’t know that just the mention of her last name was enough to drive 99 out of 100 people away from her immediately, unless they wanted something.

At home, every member of the press was dying to get a photo of Lena Luthor looking anything less than perfectly put together, and frankly, it was getting old. But here she was, in a coffee shop in London, wearing a soft sweater, jeans, and sneakers. Her hair hadn’t come within ten meters of her ghd straighteners. Nobody knew her here, and Lena had almost never felt more free in her life.

After several beats of silence, she moved her hot chocolate and leaned forward over the table. “Hey,” she said, and waited for Kara to look over at her. “Can I take you to breakfast, to thank you for bringing the scarf back to me?”

Kara beamed, and Lena felt satisfaction spread throughout her body. “Really?”

“Of course! It’s the least I could do,” Lena replied. “But I have to admit, I rarely come to London, and when I do, it’s usually for business meetings. I can’t say I know of anywhere that serves a good breakfast.”

Kara almost bounced in her seat, and Lena smothered a laugh. She was sure that she’d rarely met anyone who exuded joy quite as much as Kara Danvers, and she felt warm just being around her. Lena rarely felt poetic, but being around Kara was almost as if she was basking in sunlight.

“I know somewhere! Do you trust me?”

Lena raised her eyebrow. “As much as anyone I’ve really only just met,” she said wryly.

Kara spread her hands out on the table. “That’s good enough for me,” she said, and stood up, holding out her hand. “Come with me if you want to live.”

Lena gave Kara what she hoped was a very unimpressed look at the geeky reference, but that just seemed to make Kara smile more. Putting her hand in Kara’s, she let herself be pulled to her feet. Her hand was warm, and Lena felt that warmth all the way down to her toes when she felt Kara’s thumb run softly over her skin. They stood there like that for a few moments, their hands still clasped together, until Lena slowly withdrew her hand. She felt the loss of it immediately, and the thought that she would feel the loss at all sent pleasant shivers down her spine.

She made sure her scarf was still around her neck before putting her coat on, and pulled her hat down over her hair.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Ready!” Kara replied. “Except uh… I still don’t actually know your name.”

“That information all depends on how good breakfast is,” Lena said, humor lacing her voice. Luckily, Kara laughed instead of being put out, and held an arm out gallantly for Lena to take.

Lena didn’t hesitate before she took it. “Where to, Miss Danvers?”

* * * * *

Kara pushed the door open with her free hand, and Lena gasped as the freezing air hit her face. Kara laughed and pulled Lena’s arm closer against her. “Yeah, apparently this is one of the coldest winters they’ve had over here in a long time.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Lena said, trying to take a deep breath as her body struggled to get used to the sudden temperature change.

“So, Miss… whoever you are,” Kara started, no bite in the words whatsoever. Lena’s smile only grew. “It’ll take us a little while to get there because we’re going to have to travel through the rush hour, but the place doesn’t open until 10am anyway. So we’ve got some time.”

“That’s-”

“Oh, unless you’re hungry now? I’ve no idea if you’ve eaten. Why would I- are you hungry?” Kara blurted out.

Lena raised an eyebrow, and Kara’s cheeks turned even pinker. “Actually, no, I haven’t apart from what Alice brought me,” she said. “I left the hotel quite early so that I could come to the coffee shop.”

“Alright, wait here,” Kara said, before she rushed back into the coffee shop. Lena turned around to see what she was doing, and watched as Kara spoke to Alice before disappearing behind the counter and into one of the back rooms. Lena stamped her feet on the ground, feeling like she was beating some warmth into them, and turned her back on the coffee shop so that she could watch as people went past.

The streets were a lot busier now. There were still business people barreling past looking stressed, but there were a lot more people who Lena guessed were out doing last-minute Christmas shopping. There were only a few days to go until Christmas, and anyone still needing gifts had to head out to battle the crowds. Didn’t people these days do most of their shopping online? That’s certainly how Lena preferred to do any shopping for Sam and Ruby – at home in her pajamas, glass of wine in hand, and nobody else in sight.

Behind her, someone knocked on the glass door. Lena saw that it was Kara, her arms full of snacks and holding two bottles of water. Lena pushed the door open and held it; Kara shuffled past her, mumbling her thanks past the paper bag she held between her teeth, before turning back to her. Lena reached up and took the bag so that Kara could talk.

“Ah, thank you,” she said with a light-hearted laugh. “Here, this one’s for you. It’s kind of a croissant but it’s dipped in chocolate on one side. And also filled with it. Oh, and this bottle of water. Trust me, you might want this on the Tube this morning. It’s going to be hot and totally gross, plus it’s the weekend, so it’ll be crowded. You’ll be lucky if you don’t end up with your face pressed into someone’s armpit,” Kara said, missing Lena’s incredulous look as she stuffed several Mars bars into her pocket.

They set off walking down the street, walking close together in order to keep out of the way of everyone else passing. They bumped into each other a few times as they stepped out of the path of other people, but every time it happened, Kara just smiled.

They didn’t talk much during the walk, both of them concentrating on eating their treats, Lena frequently brushing pastry crumbs out of her scarf. When she was finished, she pulled it up a little so that it sat closer to her ears, combating the chilly air.

When they reached the Hyde Park Corner Tube station, Kara tossed their pastry bags into the nearest bin. “We’re just going one stop to Green Park, and then changing to the Victoria line, and then again to the Northern,” she said, wincing in apology.

“Ugh,” Lena replied, suppressing a smile. Kara was right, it would be gross on the Tube today, but if she had to be pressed up against someone, she could do far worse than the blonde next to her. Lena honestly didn’t think she’d mind at all.

“One other thing sucks about this weather,” Kara sighed, as they walked towards the turnstiles.

“What’s that?” Lena asked, fishing her travel card (who on earth decided _Oyster_ was a good name for it?!) out of her pocket.

“The fact that every time I come back inside, I can’t see a damn thing,” Kara exclaimed with a good-natured roll of her shoulders. She pulled her fogged-up glasses off her nose and wiped them with a cloth she pulled out of her pocket. Lena was very glad she’d decided to put her contacts in this morning, and she let out a laugh as Kara put her glasses back on her face.

“Better?” Lena asked, as her smile stretched across her face.

“Much,” Kara said with a smile and a thumbs-up.

They swiped their Oyster cards and headed down to the platform, and Kara was right, it was crowded, but not as busy as it could’ve been. They managed to get onto a train with relative ease, although they couldn’t sit, and within a short time they arrived at Green Park. Walking towards the Victoria line platforms, Lena noted that it was starting to get a lot more congested, and she held on to Kara’s arm so as not to lose her in the crowd.

By the time they reached the correct platform and found a place to stand, Lena was feeling warm; the Tube was hot year-round, thanks to it being underground, so it always felt worse when you were wearing a thick winter coat. Kara grimaced at her, but Lena shrugged. It was just part of using public transport in one of the busiest cities in the world, and they weren’t in a rush, so it didn’t matter too much. Lena couldn’t remember the last time she truly had nothing to do and nowhere to be, and she was determined to enjoy it.

Sweaty, boiling hot Tube and all.

They let the first two trains go, and they shuffled their way closer to the yellow line. “I’ve always loved that. ‘Mind the gap,’” Kara said in an atrocious English accent, pointing at it and grinning. “So, since we’re just standing here, what brings you to London? You looked pretty busy yesterday.”

Lena smiled. “I’m here on business. It’s a flying visit, for the most part. I was meeting with some investors yesterday,” she hesitated before deciding not to say anything about L-Corp. “The meeting actually ended up being six hours long, which is why I was in the coffee shop last night. I was starving.”

“Six hours?!” Kara said, aghast.

“Yeah,” Lena shrugged. “Although, it went on for so long that today’s meeting was cancelled, which ended up giving me a free day today. So, it wasn’t all bad!”

“That’s true I suppose, but still, six hours? You weren’t exactly wearing comfortable shoes yesterday,” Kara stated, and then snapped her mouth shut and blushed.

“You noticed my shoes, did you?” Lena teased.

If possible, Kara’s blush deepened. “It was a little hard not to notice y- uh, them. Did they have red bottoms to them?”

Over Kara’s shoulder, Lena spotted the next train rattling towards them. “As a matter of fact, they did. I left them at my hotel; heels and freezing weather don’t mix that well.”

At that, Kara laughed, and they shuffled the few feet along the platform towards the nearest train doors, standing back to let alighting passengers off. But then, Lena was almost swept off her feet as the horde of people around her surged into the new gap inside the train. She saw Kara’s hand come forward and grab her coat so as not to lose her, and she didn’t let go. Lena ended up with her back flattened up against the train door on the other side.

Crushed up against her front was Kara. As people filed on the train behind them, Kara was pressed even closer against Lena, and she brought her hands up to rest on Kara’s biceps. _For balance_ , Lena told herself.

Kara was warm, and her coat made her soft. Lena looked up into Kara’s smiling face.

“Well, this is cosy, isn’t it?” she said.

Kara chuckled apologetically. “Yeah-”

The train shifted and started moving, and Lena felt Kara’s hand land on her hip. _For balance_ , she thought again, wryly.

The ends of Kara’s hair tickled Lena’s face, and she fought the sudden urge to lean her head against Kara’s shoulder. She smelled sweet, as if she spent her whole life surrounded by cupcakes and vanilla-scented candles; Lena found it comforting. Kara’s padded coat made her feel soft, even though judging by the muscles on display yesterday, Lena thought she was probably anything but.

At the thought of Kara without her clothes on, and of the core strength she must have to keep herself still on a moving train, Lena felt a blush cover her face.

“Hey, are you alright?” Kara said, looking down at Lena’s face, her blue eyes full of concern. “You’re all red.”

Lena felt her blush settle in even more. “Oh, I- um, it’s just really hot on this train,” she squeaked.

Kara smiled at her, and Lena felt her heart skip a beat. Up close, Kara’s smile seemed to affect her even more strongly. “I’d say drink some water, but with the train this packed, someone will probably bump you and you’ll end up wearing most of it,” she said.

“Mm, that would be tragic,” Lena mused quietly. “Then I’d be soaking wet _and_ thirsty.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lena froze. That was, perhaps, the most blatantly obvious thing she’d ever uttered in her entire life. She hadn’t meant it the way it sounded but, it wasn’t exactly a lie either. Had Kara heard her? And yet… and yet, as she stared solidly at a thread coming loose on Kara’s shoulder, not daring to look higher, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it even if she had. She was an anonymous woman in a crowd here, and although Lena Luthor could never say that kind of thing to a stranger…

…maybe _Lena_ could.

Lena threw all her caution to the wind and looked up at Kara.

The blonde was looking at something over Lena’s head, but her face was pink, and Lena just _knew_ that she’d heard her comment.

Lena cleared her throat and Kara startled a little, before blue eyes met green. “So, where are we going?” she said, in as innocent a voice as she could manage, and smothered a smile. Kara’s eyes were slightly wide.

“Ah I- uh,” Kara stuttered, squeezing her eyes shut and grinning widely, before opening them and looking at Lena again. “We’re going to go to… um, Camden! The Market. Have you ever been?”

Lena shook her head. “No, what’s there?”

“Oh! It’s a great market. Well, it’s not just a market. It’s a whole area that’s got some brilliantly decorated buildings on the way to the market and the market itself is great! And… the reason we’re going there for breakfast is because they basically have everything. You can- oh, we have to change lines to the Northern,” Kara said, interrupting herself, as the train pulled into Euston.

They made their way through the station, Lena following Kara, since she’d never been to this station and wasn’t sure where they were aiming for. They made their way through the throngs and walked up the Northern line platforms. It wasn’t as crowded, but Lena noticed a distinct difference in what many people were wearing.

Lining the platform were punks with huge mohawks and studded leather jackets. There were goths, their dark hair and dramatic makeup a huge contrast to the few people standing near them wearing the traditional ugly Christmas jumpers. There were people wearing rock and metal band shirts, some of which Lena recognized from her own goth days in her teenage years. Not many people knew that Lena Luthor had once considered herself quite the metalhead.

Sometimes, she still rocked out at home. Her penthouse apartment was soundproofed, and she owned the floor below; there was nobody to hear it when she got nostalgic and cranked the volume on Slipknot, Rammstein, Arch Enemy, or SOiL.

Lena poked Kara in the arm, who turned to look at her, and bounced on her heels. “Hmm?”

“I used to have a corset just like that one,” Lena said, pointing at a girl who was walking past with her back tied up in purple ribbons.

“You…” Kara said, as she gaped after the girl. “Really? I can’t see it. I mean, I obviously don’t know you, but…” she trailed off, looking at Lena thoughtfully.

“It takes all sorts, Miss Danvers,” Lena said airily, waving her hand in the air.

Their train clattered into the platform as they were talking, and thankfully they were able to step onto it this time without anyone stepping on their feet or walloping them with their bags.

“So what kind of music do you listen to?” Kara asked, her hand just above Lena’s on the stanchion, her little finger grazing Lena’s thumb as the train moved and making Lena’s skin tingle.

“Hmm, all sorts,” Lena replied thoughtfully, taking a moment before answering fully. “I love Sheryl Crow. Birdy. A lot of rock bands. Motown music, and the Supremes. I listen to a lot of classical music though, too, and movie soundtracks. Anything by John Williams or Howard Shore. Dvořák, Smetana, Holst, Greig. I’d love to travel around all over and listen to the best orchestras in the world play. It honestly depends on my mood.”

“That’s a real mix!” Kara exclaimed. “I love NSYNC.”

Lena laughed. “What, just NSYNC?”

Kara smiled earnestly. “Of course not! Anything cheesy really. Disney, 80’s pop music, Dolly Parton. Anything that makes me want to sing along with it is generally a winner.”

In what seemed like only a few minutes, their train slowed down and stopped at Camden Town. “Well, here we are!” Kara said, gesturing for Lena to get off first, and then pointing in the direction they should walk.

After the time spent underground, the freezing air that whipped past their faces when they made it to street level made them both gasp to catch their breath.

“Come on,” Kara wheezed. “It’s this way!”

They turned right out of the station in the direction Kara had indicated, and walked up the street. Straight away, Lena knew what Kara had meant by brilliantly decorated buildings. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything like this in London before, but then again, she’d mostly stuck to Canary Wharf, the Square Mile, and Knightsbridge.

The buildings were a riot of colors, with huge model dragons snaking around the windows, giant shoes, horseshoes, dark angels with wings. Most of the shops were still closed due to the early hour, but Lena could see people moving around inside them, since they would be opening soon. A lot of the buildings had signs proclaiming them to be tattoo and piercing parlors. Lena ran her finger down the shell of her right ear. Maybe once she got back home, it would be time to add hole number nine to that ear.

Or perhaps get a fourth tattoo.

Lena wondered what all the crusty old businessmen she had to deal with on a daily basis would think of the young, female CEO of L-Corp if they knew she had several tattoos hidden under her crisp shirts and suits.

She and Kara wandered up and down the streets around Camden Lock Market, Kara pointing out her favorite buildings and decorations, and they went for a short walk up the canal so that Lena could look at the lock itself. Lena almost couldn’t believe it was still a working lock; the water wasn’t level, so a canal boat had been through here fairly recently. Lena found herself daydreaming, thinking about how relaxing a canal boat ride must be.

Once 10am rolled around, Kara excitedly walked Lena to the Market. It was just opening time, so it wasn’t anywhere near as crowded as it would no doubt get later in the day. Lena didn’t know where to look first. It was like a bazaar; there were stalls selling all sorts of things, craftsmen and women hawking their wares, clothing shops selling things that wouldn’t be out of place at a gothic metal concert. She marveled at stalls that sold only wind chimes, flattened glass bottled made into clocks, or leather bracelets.

Kara seemed content to let Lena take the lead as she meandered around, wandering in and out of shops as her fancy took her. They passed a shop that sold some sort of beads that looked like they’d be wet, but weren’t – the owner encouraged her to touch some that were in a bowl by the entrance. Lena gleefully stuck her whole hand into it, laughing at how cold and wet it felt, but her hand was completely dry when she pulled it back out.

Spotting some steps that led to what looked like a sheltered or underground part of the market, Lena aimed for it, hoping it would be slightly warmer. It was, and while Lena sighed with relief and looked around, Kara removed her glasses once again and started wiping them to get rid of the condensation. Lena found herself smiling fondly as the blonde looked slightly self-conscious.

There was a shop in the underground area that sold nothing but old maps and odd photographs. It was as if someone had gone through their grandmother’s attic and decided to sell everything in it individually. Some of the maps she recognized as actually being quite valuable, and Lena was astounded that they were being sold in some sort of bin as if they were nothing more than old newspapers. She made sure to let the owner know what he had before they moved away.

Lena didn’t think she’d ever been in a market so surprising in her whole life. She felt like a child, wandering around with her green eyes wide and staring.

There were shops selling film memorabilia, all sorts of hand-crafted books, and eventually, an alley that seemed entirely devoted to-

“Food,” Kara groaned, grabbing Lena by the hand and dragging her towards it. Lena didn’t have time to think about Kara holding her hand other than register how warm it was in hers, because her nose was suddenly assaulted by all sorts of delicious smells. It looked like it was possible could get a lot of different sorts of Asian food, and at the top of the alley were a few pizza places, selling by the slice. Lena wandered up and down the alley, smiling noncommittally as the owner of each shop called out to her.

Her first instinct was to worry about the hygiene level of the places and to wonder whether or not she’d be on the plane home with a severe bout of food poisoning. She upbraided herself; so far this was a very spontaneous day, spent with a beautiful blonde girl who was almost a stranger. She wanted to have fun, not be Lena Luthor!

She strode more purposefully down the alley towards the stall she had decided on.

“Ooh, good choice! I think I’ll get the same!” Kara exclaimed over her shoulder, as Lena picked out beef with black bean sauce and egg fried rice, noodles with soy sauce, and some kind of sweet and sour chicken. Ordinarily the mix of flavors all in one box would make her lip curl in distaste, but today she was on holiday.

 _On holiday_ , she thought to herself. For the first time in a very long time. They’d barely done anything so far, and Lena was already having more fun than she’d had outside of the lab in a long time.

They carried their food and their drinks to an area full of picnic benches, and Kara easily swung herself into the seat while Lena edged her way in sideways. Lena didn’t think she’d sat down and eaten outside like this in at least a decade, especially when the air was this cold.

“So, it seems you like Camden? Thank you, by the way, for the food,” Kara said, twirling noodles around her plastic fork before shoveling them into her mouth.

Lena speared a piece of chicken with her own fork. “You’re welcome,” she replied. “It’s quite an unconventional breakfast, I have to say.”

Kara swallowed her mouthful. “Who said breakfast had to only consist of breakfast food anyway?”

“Not me.”

“Sometimes,” Kara said, digging her fork into her rice, “my sister has steak for breakfast.”

“Steak?” Lena said incredulously.

Kara nodded. “Mmhmm. She says it sets her up for the day. She’s an FBI agent though, so I suppose she needs her energy.”

An FBI agent? That piece of information gave Lena pause. She’d dealt with the FBI quite a lot when she took over LuthorCorp after Lex had set off those bombs. She wondered whether she’d ever met Kara’s sister. Agent Danvers, if her last name was actually Danvers. She’d have to remember that.

Kara had continued talking, oblivious to Lena’s inner dialogue with herself. “-sushi, and it went flying everywhere! The old woman next to us was not amused when she had to pick wasabi out of her hair.” Kara laughed, freely and openly, as if she’d known Lena for much longer than a morning. “I think it was one of those moments where they wondered what they’d got themselves into, adopting me-”

“Adopting? You’re adopted?” Lena interrupted.

Kara gives her a more pensive look at that, her face falling just slightly. Her smile was still there, but it was muted, as if it held old pain. Lena regretted asking. “Kara-”

“It’s okay,” the blonde said. “I love the Danvers, I do. And out of all the families in the world, I was lucky to be adopted by them. My sister, Alex, and I didn’t really get on to start with. My parents died in a house fire when I was thirteen while I was out buying some stupid CD,” she stated with a damp roll of her eyes. Lena reached across the table and put her hand on top of Kara’s, squeezing slightly. Kara looked down at their hands, before looking back up, her smile a little less brittle. “The Danvers took me in. All of a sudden, I had new parents. We lost Jeremiah a few years later, but I… it was worse for Alex, of course. But I had a sister. I’d never had a sister before.”

An icy breeze blew through the stalls, whipping Lena’s dark hair around her face. She brushed it impatiently out of her face with her spare hand.

“She’s my best friend, now. We have sister nights and we’re there for each other, through anything. I never thought I’d have someone like that, you know? She supports me through everything. She’s the first person I call whenever anything bad, or good, happens in my life. Eliza is wonderful and always encouraged me to do whatever I loved, even if it wouldn’t exactly end up being lucrative. That’s why I’m here, actually. Fine art and art history. I love to paint, and part of my degree allowed me to go abroad and just… obviously Paris or Florence would be better, but the transport links were better here and I can get there easily enough. And there are wonderful art galleries here too. I doubt I’ll make a lot of money from painting but I love it, just love it. And Eliza always told me I should do what I love. And here I am!”

Throughout Kara’s little speech, Lena felt more and more wistful. Kara’s adoption had been full of happiness, and hers had been full of misery. Usually, she accepted her childhood with stoicism; after all, it had given her both the platform and the wealth to do very good things. But, every now and again, like now, she felt a little sorry for herself, in a more personal way.

She had very few memories of her mother; a silhouette standing in front of a window with a camera, the sweet scent of parma violets, long fingers shuffling worn playing cards. Being carried through a meadow in the rain while the mud sucked her mother’s shoes off, and laughing.

Lena remembered the sound of her mother’s laughter, and it was her most precious memory.

Once she’d been adopted by the Luthors, she’d heard very little laughter. It had been a childhood full of ruthless ambition and cold, hard achievement that could be measured against her peers. She couldn’t remember Lillian ever baking cookies, nor encouraging her in what she loved, not like what Eliza had done for Kara. It wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed chess, but it was the only game she was allowed to play, once Lillian had realized that she was both intelligent and strategic. She had a wall full of trophies for her academic and fencing achievements.

Objectively, Lena knew she was beautiful, intelligent, accomplished, and rich. She was an excellent businesswoman, even if her politics didn’t match Lillian’s. On the face of it, she was everything Lillian valued. But sometimes, she wondered what price she had paid for it.

An empty apartment, bed sheets that had never heard whispers of love in the night, a single whisky glass that saw frequent use. A bathroom mirror that rarely saw a smile.

Lena shook her head, an attempt to physically rid her mind of the melancholy thoughts running through it. She supposed her feelings must’ve shown on her face, because Kara asked her what was wrong.

“Oh, I’m alright. I was just having a moment of feeling sorry for myself,” she admitted, trying to keep her voice light. “I’m really glad that your adoption went so well. Mine was… decidedly less cheery,” she finished, not wanting to say much more. She’d been having a good day so far, and she didn’t want to spoil the mood with her gloominess.

“I’m… sorry to hear that,” Kara said, and Lena was grateful that Kara didn’t pry. Lena poked her fork into some more beef and chewed on it.

“It wasn’t all bad. I got sent to boarding school in Ireland until I went to college. I was born in Ireland, actually. But going back there for each semester was something I looked forward to.”

Kara’s face lit up and she clapped her hands loudly, startling Lena and causing her to spill a forkful of noodles and rice all over the table. “Ireland! That’s it!”

Lena narrowed her eyes at Kara playfully. “What is _it_?”

“Your accent. I’ve been trying to figure it out. You sound mostly American, but, you know, sometimes, it slips. But I wasn’t sure what it was slipping into.”

Lena couldn’t help it. She felt the laughter bubble up inside her and it her smile stretched across her face, before she was giggling helplessly over her spilled rice, until she couldn’t breathe and was wiping tears from her eyes.

“I’m s-sorry,” she spluttered, as she caught a glimpse of Kara’s quizzical face across from her. Luckily, her laughter seemed to be catching and she could see Kara’s shoulders shaking slightly as she snickered. “It’s just, I- I thought about what my adoptive mother would say, if she knew my accent slipped so much. We don’t spend a lot of time together, and I guess I’m always on the alert for it when I’m with her.” Lena leaned backwards on her seat and folded her arms. “It must slip out when I’m happy and relaxed.”

“I’m really glad that you’re happy, mystery woman,” Kara said, her voice warm. “So, uh, this might seem a little forward,” she said quickly, and then swallowed so hard that Lena heard it even over the hum of other people talking near them, “but um, when do you fly back home? Sunday, I think you said last night?”

“You’re right. Very early tomorrow morning,” Lena replied.

“And when did you arrive?”

“Thursday night,” Lena said, wondering where this was going.

“And have you seen any of London at Christmastime that wasn’t a Tube station full of grumpy, drunk people?”

Lena laughed, and Kara’s eyes lit up at the sound of it. “No, actually.”

“You mentioned that you didn’t have much experience with Christmas really. Well, would you like to hang out for another couple of hours? I’m not working until later, and, oh,” she stuttered, “uh, unless you have plans to go and see something else than hang around with a barista that you barely know and oh golly,” she said, clapping a hand to her mouth before lowering it to fiddle with the fork, “you must think I’m a total nutcase. My sister always did say I was far too naïve for my own good and, well, for anyone else’s good now I think about it-”

“Kara, it’s fine,” Lena interrupted in a slightly raised voice, offsetting it with a smile, and Kara visibly relaxed. “Honestly. I’d love to see some of London at Christmastime. I haven’t any plans today. Like I said, the meeting I was meant to have was cancelled, so I’m free for the whole day.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Lena confirmed, her smile widening.

“I’d hate for you to go home without having done at least _some_ Christmassy things!” Kara exclaimed excitedly. “I’ll take you to Selfridges to see their displays, and we can eat some stuff.”

On and on Kara went, as they ate their Chinese food, describing things they could do and the places she could take her. They wouldn’t have much time, because Kara had to go to work, but they’d have a little while, at least. Lena mostly spent her whole life surrounded by people who were either trying to get something out of her, or trying to one-up her in some way. It was refreshing to be around someone who didn’t ask anything of her, who seemed to be happy just to be spending time with her, even if she didn’t so much as know Lena’s name. This was… nice.

The thought of spending the next few hours in Kara’s company did fuzzy things to Lena’s insides. If a friendly, beautiful woman wanted to show her around London out of seemingly nothing but the goodness of her own heart, who was Lena to turn her down?

And more than that, she didn’t want to. There was something comforting about the smiley blonde barista who loved art so much that she traveled to Europe just to be near it. Who was willing to spend her downtime in the company of a woman whose name she didn’t know, just to make her happy.

She looked up to find shining blue eyes looking at her hopefully, and Lena felt the ice that had involuntarily built up around her heart melt a little.

Kara picked up their empty food boxes and took them to the nearest trash can. Lena stood up, brushing stray grains of rice off her coat. She hadn’t realized how cold her hands were until Kara offered her hand to help her out from behind the table, and _my goodness_ , Kara’s hand was so warm in hers.

Kara let go once Lena had climbed over the bench, but Lena wasn’t to be thwarted. She stepped up to Kara and linked her arm with hers, and she was rewarded with a bright smile.

“And by the way,” she said, leaning close to Kara’s ear and feeling her shiver in response, “my name-”

“Yes?” Kara murmured eagerly.

“It’s Lena.”

Kara sighed happily. “That’s a beautiful name for someone like-” she paused, before she seemed to realize she’d started a sentence that she couldn’t avoid finishing.

Lena pulled on Kara’s arm, causing them both to stop outside a shop that printed photos on wooden blocks. “Someone like me?” she asked.

Kara blushed slightly before she met Lena’s eyes. “For someone as lovely as you,” she said, before clearing her throat. Lena felt warm all over. “Look, I… um, I know you’re leaving tomorrow, and we aren’t friends or anything, but I’m having a really great time with you Lena, and,” she looked over her shoulder at the photo printing place. “Would you like to take a photo?”

Kara looked shy about her request, and Lena found herself agreeing immediately. “Of course!” she said. “Look, there’s a board we can get a background with.” She pulled Kara over to the board and stood them against it, before turning to Kara. Lena hesitated only for a moment before she reached up and adjusted Kara’s bobble hat and pulled her hair so that it framed her face. She was aware that her fingers were cold against Kara’s face, but Kara didn’t seem to mind at all.

In fact, the blonde seemed to take that as an invitation. She looked down into Lena’s eyes for permission, which she got. Kara gently pulled Lena’s hat off and fluffed her long hair around her shoulders. “You have beautiful hair, Lena,” she murmured as she did so. She twisted some of Lena’s hair around her fingers, curling it slightly before setting it against her coat, over her collarbone.

Lena watched Kara as she carefully put Lena’s hat back on, settling it warmly over her ears. Kara’s face was pink, and her touch was almost tender as she played with Lena’s hair. Their faces were close together, closer than they needed to be, but neither woman seemed to mind.

“Okay?” Lena whispered as the air seemed to crackle between them.

Kara didn’t say anything, she just nodded. Lena pulled her phone out of her pocket and switched the camera to face the front. Kara stood next to her and wrapped her arm over Lena’s shoulder, and Lena snaked her arm slowly around Kara’s waist and pulled her closer to her. The slight “oof” she heard Kara utter made her grin.

“Say cheese, darling,” Lena said, and they both looked up at the phone and smiled. Lena snapped several photos in quick succession, and then Kara took her own phone out and they pulled a few funny faces. Any worry that Lena had about those photos making their way out into the world were erased immediately at the fond look on Kara’s face as she scrolled through them, her smile easily reaching her eyes and making the corners of them crinkle.

Together they chose their favorite from Lena’s phone and they stepped into the shop. Lena ordered two small wooden blocks and sent the worker the photo. She paid for their blocks, and was told they’d need to come back in fifteen minutes to pick them up.

While they waited, Kara excitedly took Lena through the crowds of people in the market to her favorite donut shop, stating that she needed another snack. Lena was just marveling at the fact that Kara could possibly fit anything else in after their massive breakfast, when her eyes nearly fell out of her head at the size of the donuts that Kara was examining with childish anticipation.

She could practically hear Lillian in her mind, making some passive aggressive comment about how much weight she would gain if she ate one.

“Kara?”

“Yes?” Kara replied, her eyes roaming over the selection.

“They’re the size of your face.”

Kara turned to look at her. “I _know_! Aren’t they great? They’re freshly made and they’re delicious! You should get one!”

“But the sugar-”

Kara’s eyes sparkled. “Come on, Lena. You’re on holiday.”

Lena’s stomach balked at the thought of eating something so large, but she rose to the challenge. She let Kara choose the donuts; she picked out one filled with some kind of dark chocolate and raspberry cream, and one ring donut smothered in chocolate.

Kara handed her the ring donut before biting into the filled one, letting out an almost obscene moan that caused Lena to blush deeply. Kara didn’t notice, so focused was she on her donut. They made their way back to the block printing place, and Lena found that she had room for the donut after all. It was absolutely delicious.

And if she mentally stuck her middle finger up at Lillian’s harsh voice in her mind, who was to know?

They picked up their wooden blocks, and Lena was delighted at how the photo looked on it. They were both grinning widely, and Lena recognized her smile as her rarely seen genuine one. She knew exactly where she would be putting it in her empty apartment back home, forever reminding her of the day she spent with a beautiful blonde girl in London.

A beautiful, blonde, sunshine girl who made her smile as if she was truly happy.

And, Lena realized, she was. How could that be, after only a few hours? She felt more relaxed than she had been in a long time. She felt more _Lena_ than Lena Luthor.

Lena slipped her arm back through Kara’s on their way back out of Camden market, and they made their way back to the Tube station, Kara skillfully directing them through the heavy foot traffic and onto the least-crowded side of the street.

Lena found herself telling Kara about how the market had reminded her of a bazaar she’d gone to in Turkey years ago, and they discussed holidays that they’d taken around the world, and their very favorite places that they’d been to. Kara was very excited to discover that they’d both been to Prague at a similar time a few years before, and they spent the whole cramped Tube ride to Oxford Circus squashed together and comparing notes about the best food they’d found, the tastiest beer, and the most insightful museums.

Even when the train got stuck in the tunnel due to a signal failure for twenty-five minutes, Lena couldn’t bring herself to care. As far as she was concerned right now, there was nowhere else she’d rather be than stuck in a tunnel with Kara Danvers.

When they finally exited the station, it was to huge crowds of people all around them. Lena pulled Kara to the side, out of the flow of pedestrians, so that she could wipe some soot off her glasses. Lena could see her breath rising as steam in front of her, and the weather hadn’t warmed up at all, even though the sun had supposedly risen.

The sky was a dismal dark grey and looked heavy. There was a chance of snow later in the afternoon, and Lena was hoping very much that it would snow, even a little.

There was some part of Lena that loved snow. They rarely had it in National City, but it had snowed reasonably often when she’d lived in Ireland, and she had nothing but good memories of it. If it happened to snow on a day where she was having the time of her life, then it would be the icing on the cake.

They headed down Oxford Street towards Selfridges, dodging out of the way of slippery icy patches and weaving between the other tourists. Kara confidently skirted them around people trying to hand them leaflets, a gentle, chivalrous hand pressing against Lena’s hip in the direction she wanted them to move.

Lena had taken only a few steps down the street before Kara leapt forward and poked her in the shoulder. Startling, she turned around to find Kara purchasing churros from a food van parked on one of the side streets. How they’d got permission to park there, Lena would never know. And how Kara still had room for even more sweet treats, she had even less of an idea.

“What do you want on your churros, Lena?” Kara called.

Lena shuffled closer so that she could inspect the menu. “What do you suggest?”

Kara glanced over it, and then smiled widely at the vendor. “Would you be able to do us cinnamon sugar and a pot of warm Nutella for us to dip these into, please?”

It seemed that the vendor was as immune to Kara’s innocent charms as Lena was; that was to say, not at all. They were handed hot churros covered in cinnamon sugar with a pot of warm chocolate sauce each.

“How did you manage that?” Lena asked, dipping her finger into the sauce and licking it off.

Kara’s eyes were round as she watched Lena, before she cleared her throat. “I just asked him.”

“Yeah, but I doubt if I’d asked, he’d have done the same for me,” Lena stated.

Kara only smiled. “Of course he would’ve, Lena,” was all she said.

They walked down past the Palladium Theater and onto Carnaby Street, which Lena knew the name of from some of her books at home on the Swinging Sixties in London. There was a huge Christmas present constructed entirely of wire and lights hanging between two of the buildings, and Kara asked Lena to take photos of her posing beneath it so that she could text the photo to her sister Alex. Lena took several, and wished that she could send one of them to herself.

She supposed she’d just have to be happy with her excellent memory. Lena didn’t think she’d easily forget a person such as Kara Danvers.

As it started to get darker, they made their way towards Selfridges. On the way, sometimes Kara stopped them so that she could take a photo of some of the larger Christmas light displays that were strung across Regent and Oxford Streets. “I’m trying to document as much as I can,” she explained to Lena, “because I don’t know when I’ll next be able to come here. I want to, uh, do a series of paintings to kind of commemorate my time here. Living here has been a lot of fun and I think I’ll really miss it here. There are some truly beautiful buildings and the history around every corner is fascinating. I feel like every time I go down an unfamiliar street, I learn something new.”

Lena thought she was adorable.

“Not to mention all those art galleries just over the water in mainland Europe,” Lena said as they sidestepped a newspaper stand. “Who’s your favorite painter?”

Kara immediately launched into a dialogue about Matisse’s earlier works, Degas’ ballet dancers, Turner’s landscapes, and the famous paintings she’d seen at Europe’s most famous art galleries. Lena shared some of her own favorites, many of them at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, where she’d once spent a very chilly winter learning Russian by immersion.

“Hang on,” Kara said, stopping just before the Selfridges windows. “You spent a winter in Russia?” Lena nodded. “And you didn’t freeze to death?”

Lena laughed. “No, it’s not that bad if you just dress appropriately.”

Kara raised both her eyebrows and whistled. “And you can speak Russian?”

“Yes,” Lena replied. “My adoptive mother thought it would be useful for future business purposes. I mostly just enjoyed the food, the history, and the art.”

“Can you speak any other languages?”

“I can speak eight, including English,” Lena said in a casual manner. She was so used to the fact that it didn’t even register as unusual for her, until Kara’s mouth dropped.

“I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a genius,” Kara teased. Lena rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

They moved closer to the windows, and Kara pressed a hand against the small of Lena’s back. The gentle pressure sent pleasure skittering up Lena’s spine, and she moved willingly where Kara wanted her to go.

“Look, we’re here,” Kara murmured to close to her ear.

(If you asked Lena in years to come what the display in the first window was, she wouldn’t be able to tell you. She was distracted by the fact that Kara had leaned in close to her, that Kara had rested both of her hands on her hips, and her chin on her shoulder. The first display could have been naked garden gnomes acting out scenes from Michael Jackson’s _Thriller_ video and she wouldn’t have been able to remember it.)

After a few moments looking at it, but seeing nothing, Lena turned around and looked silently at Kara, who was gazing back at her. They smiled at each other, and when Kara slipped her hand into Lena’s, she didn’t protest.

Instead, Lena entwined their fingers. She felt a blush rise up her cheeks as she did so, but she refused to let go. If Kara wanted to hold her hand, then Lena was going to let her. Kara squeezed her fingers, and Lena felt warmth wash through her at the gesture.

They moved down the window displays, never letting go of each other’s hands. There were windows full of the most delicate Christmas tree baubles she’d ever seen, windows with miniature street scenes from various cities around the world; Kara squeaked in excitement when she spotted a tiny Charles Bridge with a Christmas tree in the middle of it.

Lena pointed out the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, and she spent the next few minutes describing the time she’d walked up and down it to find a bottle of scotch for a business partner, sampling various whiskies on the way; she’d drunkenly tripped over part of the pavement and caught herself on a lamppost. Kara laughed herself silly as Lena told her that the problem was her momentum; she’d been moving so fast that it meant she swung around the lamppost and accidentally launched herself into a nearby display stand of tartan blankets, scattering them everywhere.

As Kara slowly led her by the hand down the street, pointing out each display and telling her about them, Lena felt more and more content.

Not very long after that, very much wanting to get out of the freezing air, they found themselves in a somewhat secret pub called the Blind Pig. Lena found them a table at the back of the pub, and soon they were sipping strangely named cocktails and bathed in low light. Christmas music played softly throughout the little pub, and couples sat close together in the intimate, quiet spaces.

Given how tactile Kara had been all day, it didn’t surprise Lena at all that Kara eschewed the chair opposite so that she could sit next to her on the soft bench seat. Lena tried not to make it look like she was as affected by Kara’s closeness as she actually was; the sudden warmth after being outside for so long had made her feel sleepy, and she dearly wanted to rest her head on Kara’s shoulder.

Kara bumped her shoulder. “Lena.”

“Mmm?” Lena murmured around her straw. She was drinking something called Savor the Moment, which seemed very apt.

“I know we didn’t get to do a whole lot today, but did you have a good time?”

Lena looked over at Kara in the dim light of the pub. She’d taken her coat off to reveal a light blue sweater with dancing pieces of sushi on it, complete with faces, and Lena smiled fondly.

Had she had a good time? Yes, she had. A better time than she’d had in as long as she could remember.

Only a couple of days ago, that feeling would have scared her. In some ways, it still did. The likelihood of Kara still wanting to spend time with her if she ever found out who she really was back in National City was very slim indeed. Sooner or later, everyone left.

The fact of the matter was that Kara just made her feel happy in a way that she had always wanted for herself, even after just half a day together.

Not for the first time, Lena cursed her last name. She squeezed Kara’s fingers and the blonde looked over at her, a soft smile on her face. Lena felt butterflies erupt within her, making her feel breathless. _Lena, you useless lesbian_ , she thought. _A pretty girl seems to like you, for you, and you go to pieces within a day_.

But didn’t that really just take the cake? For the first time in a long time, Lena wasn’t acting like Lena Luthor, genius billionaire CEO of L-Corp. She was acting like Lena, just as herself. This was the freest she’d ever felt, the most honestly _herself_ she’d been in a very long time. She’d met a girl that she knew for certain she would want to date if she wasn’t in the papers every other day, a girl who would actually be living in the same city as her before long.

And then the secret would be out. She’d be Lena Luthor again. Kara seemed to be just as interested in Lena as Lena was in Kara, if the looks they’d shared and the hand holding was anything to go by, but Kara didn’t currently know who Lena was. Nobody touched a Luthor with a ten foot pole; before Lex and his bombs, they’d just been aloof, people to be lusted over but never loved, feared rather than liked. After the bombs, well.

Lena hadn’t had a real date in longer than she cared to mention. Eventually, she’d just closed herself off and accepted the fact that her name made her a pariah. She accepted it, but she didn’t have to like it. On a normal day, that knowledge was like a long papercut; frequent, commonplace, and easily forgotten. A sting like that could be soothed with a long bath and a glass of expensive scotch.

But after spending a few hours with the human personification of sunlight and happiness, Lena felt her loneliness wrap painfully around her like she’d got tangled in barbed wire. Lena Luthor couldn’t have real happiness. She’d been working hard to reverse LuthorCorp’s dreadful legacy, but at the end of the day, to the rest of the world, she was a Luthor first. She was a hundred different things to a hundred different people.

That she was a woman who might want to be loved didn’t seem to fit any box that people put her in.

She’d had a lovely day with Kara; it had been like a fairytale, but a Luthor always seemed to be the villain, and they never got their happy endings. She didn’t want to ruin the day, make Kara hate her, by telling her who she really was back home. They couldn’t be together back home. Luthors weren’t made to be happy. And now that Kara would be heading off to work very shortly, Lena’s time in the sun was up. There was nothing she could do about it.

Every fairytale had an ending, after all.

Lena felt the smile on her face turn tight as she tried to hide how sad she suddenly felt, but from the frown on Kara’s face, she knew she hadn’t succeeded as well as she hoped.

“Lena?”

“I- Kara, I’ve had the _best_ time,” she blurted, deciding that she could be honest about this part, at least. “I can’t even tell you how much this day has meant to me. I almost don’t want to go home.”

For some reason she couldn’t understand, Kara looked at her with sympathy in her blue eyes. “But?”

Lena tried to convince herself that once, just once, here in the dark with Kara, she could have what she wanted. In a kinder world, she could close the small distance between them, slide her fingertips over Kara’s cheekbones and into her hair. Here in the dark, she could kiss her, and nobody would know. She could be free.

“You look familiar, but I’m not quite sure why,” Kara continued, frowning. “I’m pretty sure that I would’ve remembered meeting you, if I ever had ever been so lucky,” she finished, giving her a more searching look, her eyes roaming over Lena’s face.

Lena couldn’t fight the blush that rose up on her face at the compliment.

Today in London, Lena had been enjoying the anonymity that being far from home granted her. The likelihood of her being recognized on the street was very slim, and she liked it that way. Lena swallowed. Kara was from National City, which would mean she would probably, or definitely, have heard of Lena’s assuming control of L-Corp. The news had talked about nothing else for weeks thanks to Lex’s actions, and Lena had been under intense media scrutiny. Everywhere she went, the press tried to get photos of her, and Jess was constantly fielding interview requests. Lena granted few of them, and those that she did, went exclusively to Cat Grant.

But something about Kara’s beautiful earnest face, and the fun day they’d had together, brought her walls down a little. The gratefulness she felt towards Kara for this whole wonderful day made her want to be at least a little bit more forthcoming than she ordinarily might’ve been.

“I’m… well-known in National City,” she said slowly.

“Oh?” Kara said, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her upturned palm.

Lena fiddled with the paper napkin on the table. It was now or never. She felt a blush rise up her face even as she straightened her spine and her shoulders, and looked back up at Kara.

And she chickened out.

She couldn’t lead Kara on, and being altruistic was something she strove to be in the face of her family’s legacy. She would hurt herself, so as not to hurt Kara.

“But I’m… I’m leaving and… back home, I’m not- I’m not the same person.” The words rushed out of her, and each one cost her dearly. “I’ve never met someone like you before. I’ve never met someone who’s so completely good. I mean, you went out of your way to spend your time off with me, telling me stories and making me laugh, and I’ve honestly laughed more today than I have in the last year. And that’s the sad truth. At home, this isn’t me. This… can’t be me.”

“Lena-” Kara started, but Lena interrupted her.

“My life back home would only hurt you,” Lena said, her voice breaking. “I know that you should have a choice in this and I know that this isn’t fair of me, but trust me, I’m no good for you. I wish that today could’ve lasted forever. If I could stay _here_ in London, be who I have been today, and be happy, and… you… I would stay, in a heartbeat. I want you to know that.”

To her horror, she felt tears spring up in her eyes. She pulled her scarf and coat on with jerky movements.

“I’m going to go, okay?”

“Lena- please, wait-” and Kara grabbed hold of her hand. Lena closed her eyes, feeling tears spill over onto her cheeks. _God_ , the last twenty-four hours had been an emotional rollercoaster. “You don’t have to tell me who you are, but please, take this with you.” And then Kara was pressing something into her hand. It was the wooden block with their photo, from Camden Market.

She swiped the tears off her face with her spare hand and looked down at it. Their smiling faces would serve as a reminder of the day she’d had with Kara Danvers.

Kara stood up, and Lena hated that she’d been the one to put that distressed look on her face. “Could I… have a hug, before you go? It doesn’t have to _be_ anything, but if today is all I’ll get to have with you, then I- I’d like to hug you, if that’s alright?”

Lena didn’t hesitate before walking around the table and stepping right into Kara’s arms. She was upset to feel that she fit perfectly, that her face fit _perfectly_ in that space between Kara’s neck and her collarbone. Lena burrowed into her, tried to take in as much of her as she could. Her sweet scent, the feel of her soft blonde hair, the touch of Kara’s hands on her back, pulling her closer. “For the record,” she heard Kara whisper into her ear, “if you stayed, Lena… I would want to keep you.”

They stood there for a moment, lost in each other, the cheery Christmas music completely at odds with Lena’s feelings. Lena lifted her hand and touched her palm to Kara’s cheek, and she felt her heart skip a beat when Kara leaned into it. Stretching upwards, Lena hesitated, before pressing a gentle kiss to Kara’s other cheek.

Then Lena stepped back, out of the hug, and away from Kara.

And then she was leaving, pushing her way quickly out of the door and onto the freezing street. She fought to control her breathing as she struggled with her tears. The street was busy with shoppers heading to Liberty’s just down the road, and the wind whipped her hair into a frenzy. Belatedly, she realized that she’d left her hat upstairs with Kara. She closed her eyes and decided to leave it there. If she returned for it now, she’d never leave.

Instead, she walked up the street and headed towards the nearest Tube station. As she walked, she noticed people starting to look upwards, smiling and laughing, lifting their hands towards the sky.

It was snowing.

* * * * *

A month later, Lena was sitting in her office at L-Corp on a telephone conference, massaging her temples. It was near the end of the day, and she could hear Jess bustling around outside her office door. Jess had decided to spend her very large Christmas bonus on a holiday with her boyfriend, and she was showing her temporary replacement where everything was.

Lena had kicked her heels off hours ago and exchanged her contacts for her glasses, because her eyes had started to ache. Her silk shirt had been pulled almost out of her slacks. She had no more meetings, and so had no more need to keep up appearances.

The telephone conference was with some new investors from Auckland, who were interested in a new prototype of hospital bed that L-Corp were developing. It seemed to be going well so far. It was early days, but Lena was hopeful that something would come of a partnership with their company.

“Yes, Mr. Davidson, L-Corp will certainly be able to accommodate a site visit from you- next week? Yes, that would be doable. Any time that’s convenient for you is convenient for us as well, and I’ll be pleased to meet you.” Lena pressed the mute button once she’d finished taking and let Sam take over the rest of the conference. All that was required of her now was to listen. She took a few notes as they talked, before chiming back in to say her goodbyes. She sighed in relief as the call ended.

Lena tucked her loose hair behind her ears, leaned back in her chair and looked at her watch. She had this almost down to a fine art by now. Five, four, three, two, one…

Sam barged through her office door with her own heels in her hands, her suit jacket undone, and her phone in her hand.

“I swear to any damn gods that are listening, Mr. Davidson could talk the hind leg off a donkey,” she complained, before she threw her shoes in the direction of Lena’s couch and collapsed in one of the new armchairs Lena had put in front of her desk.

Lena rolled her eyes. “ _He’s still on the phone_ ,” she mouthed, pointing at it.

“Fuck off, he’s not,” Sam said, not even bothering to check the phone to see if Lena was lying. “You hung up on him the very first second you were able to.”

“True,” Lena said with a laugh. “At least he’s just on the phone right now. Can you imagine what this is going to be like next week? I’ll have to practice my interested face in front of the mirror.”

Sam snorted and scrolled through her phone. “What are we having for dinner tonight? I take it you have no more meetings?”

“Nope, thank goodness. Any walk-ins can feck off, so they can,” she added in her Irish accent, making Sam smile in the process. “I am absolutely ready for today to be Friday,” Lena groaned. “This has been the longest week I’ve had since I got back from London. At least that deal is all wrapped up now.”

Sam rocked forward in her chair. “It’s signed?”

Lena smiled. “The contract is signed, sealed, and delivered.”

“Fantastic job, Miss Wonder! This calls for a celebration.” With that, Sam climbed out of her chair and padded over to Lena’s not-so-secret cupboard where she hid her expensive scotch, for those days which were either very good, or very bad.

Sam pulled a bottle out at random, and then scoffed when she saw the label on the Balvenie 1971 DCS Chapter 4. “Only you would have a $28,000 bottle of scotch in your _office_ , Lena.”

Lena stuck her tongue out at her oldest friend and gestured for her to fill it up. “I’m going home on time tonight, so my driver is still around. I figured we could celebrate.”

“Ruby’s at a sleepover,” Sam replied, walking back over and handing Lena her glass, holding her own up for them to clink together in a toast.

Lena took a sip of her scotch. It was very welcome after the long day she’d had, and she let it burn its way pleasantly down her throat. She groaned and leaned back in her seat again, closing her eyes against the bright lights of her stark office.

They were silent for a few moments. “I’m feeling Chinese food,” Sam finally said. “What about that new place you’ve been going to?”

Lena opened her eyes. “Auntie Wu’s?”

“That’s the one.”

“Yeah, order from there. Anything you want to get us, but get extra potstickers.”

“You got it,” Sam replied, and set about tapping her order in.

Lena swiveled her chair around so that she was looking out of the window into the dark night sky. This had been a long month. Ever since she’d got back from London, she’d not been herself. She’d had a taste of happiness and now that her body and mind knew what it felt like, it was as if they conspired together to never let her forget it.

She’d lasted an entire week before she went to Auntie Wu’s, armed with Kara’s name. She hadn’t admitted to herself that she went to the actual restaurant to order in the hopes of somehow being somewhere that Kara had been, because that seemed pathetic even to her. Nevertheless, she went, and found it to be a rather sleek establishment. The woman behind the counter appeared to be Auntie Wu herself, judging by the thrilled smile she’d given Lena when she said she’d been sent by Kara Danvers.

“Kara!” she’d squealed. “How is that girl? We haven’t seen her for a long time. She is studying in England. But she sends her friends all the time. I haven’t seen you before. Do you want her whole order?”

“Sure,” Lena’d replied, not knowing what she was going to end up getting other than potstickers. She had been quite shocked when she’d been handed two stuffed paper bags full of boxes and wrapped packets of prawn crackers. Her driver hopped out of the car to help her carry the bags once he’d seen her struggling her way towards him. They were lucky they didn’t end up with cartons all over the sidewalk.

Her first call was to Sam, who’d come over and shared the meal, declaring it to be the best Chinese food in National City, and demanding to know where she’d heard of it from. Sam had got the whole story about Kara, and had listened with sympathy as she heard Lena rationalize her way through her hasty exit from the Blind Pig. Sam didn’t question her at all, for which Lena was thankful, but she knew that eventually Sam would try to snap her out of it.

Today, thankfully, didn’t seem to be that day.

Sam finished tapping in her order and leaned back in her chair to sip the scotch like it was her lifeline after that marathon conference. She nearly fell backwards off the chair when a loud crash sounded from outside the room. Lena laughed into her drink when she heard Jess curse loudly. Before she could get out of her chair to investigate, Jess popped her head through the door. Lena and Sam looked over at her.

“Sorry, Miss Luthor, Miss Arias. Tom kind of… knocked the xerox machine over.” When Lena raised her eyebrows, Jess shrugged. “No, I have no idea how either. That thing weighs a damn ton.”

“Oh well, it was… what, two months old? We needed a new one anyway,” Lena said wryly. “Oh, Jess, could you switch the lights over, please? Thank you,” she finished, once the overhead lights were off and the lamps on instead. Her office seem far cosier in the much softer light.

Lena barely had time to look up at Sam and take another sip of scotch before her phone rang from Jess’ line. Frowning, Lena pressed the button. Why was Jess calling when she could just as well poke her head back through the door?

“Sorry to bother you Miss Luthor, Miss Arias. There’s a woman here to see Miss Luthor. She doesn’t have an appointment.”

“Could you ask her to make an appointment and come back then, please Jess?”

Jess’ irritated voice came through the speakerphone. “She’s quite insistent- excuse me one moment, no, Miss Luthor doesn’t see just anyone who walks in off the street. Who are you?” she bluntly asked, and Sam laughed into her drink. Lena’s assistant was fiery, and Lena wouldn’t change her for the world.

There were some muffled sounds as if the handset was being covered with Jess’ hand, and then Jess came back on the line. “She said to say you’d know who she was if she said Auntie Wu, whoever that is,” Jess huffed.

Lena’s grip on her glass of scotch slipped, and the corner hit her desk with a loud crack. Her insides felt like they were dancing the macarena inside her. “What- Jess, hold on a moment,” she said, her voice breathless enough that if Sam hadn’t already been paying attention, she certainly was now. “Does she have blonde hair?”

“Yes,” Jess replied. “And glasses.”

“Oh god,” Lena said, suddenly feeling weak. “Jess, can you- can you keep her there for a moment. Tell her I’ll see her, but I just need a minute.”

“Okay, Miss Luthor,” Jess said, sounding concerned, before hanging up.

Sam immediately leaned over the desk. “Lena, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

If she was honest, Lena felt like she had. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she downed the rest of her scotch out of pure instinct before realising that was probably a stupid idea.

The first few days since coming back from London, Lena had to stop herself from looking up Kara Danvers anywhere she could. Her reach with L-Corp was large, but she didn’t want to use what she had at her disposal to find Kara. She felt that what she’d said to Kara was sound, and that she was right – Lena would be no good for someone such as Kara Danvers.

That didn’t make it hurt any less, though. Then there was the trip to Auntie Wu’s. Before long, she’d ordered three takeouts from them, each the exact same as the first one. The wooden block with the photo of them sat on Lena’s dresser in her bedroom, alongside one of the few photos of she and Lex that she’d kept, and one of Sam and Ruby. Sometimes, Lena touched the top of it on her way to bed, almost as if it was a talisman for good sleep.

She hadn’t known Kara for very long, of course. It had been less than a day, all told, and for at least some of those hours, she’d been fast asleep. But the fact was that Kara had left an indelible mark on her heart. That day in London had been one of the happiest of her life, the largest reason for which being Kara and her sunshine smile. Kara and her warm hands, her gentle demeanor, and her desire to give a sad stranger a happy day.

“It’s Kara,” Lena croaked, and Sam sat up straight in her seat.

“No fucking way. She found you?”

“I think I gave her enough clues, to be honest. How many people can there be in National City called Lena who are well-known, were born in Ireland, and speak eight languages? All she’d have to have done is google National City and Lena in the same search. I’m the first result that comes up, the entire first _page_ of results. And, she has a photo of me. Well. Several of them, actually.”

“You google yourself?”

“I did when I came home, just to see what would come up if Kara did!” Lena hissed. “Apparently, I’m big news.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Well, of course you are. Do you want me to stay?”

Lena looked at her friend. “I’m… no. Thank you Sam. I’ll be alright. She’s the least threatening person ever.”

“Sure, but you’re my best friend. And your big, mushy Irish heart is fragile,” Sam said, leaning over the desk and putting her hand on top of Lena’s, before standing up. “I’m taking this scotch with me, though. Call if you need anything, alright?”

Lena could only smile in response. She watched Sam walk out the door, and then she took a deep breath. She stood up, ran her fingers through her hair, and quickly checked her makeup in her phone screen. She didn’t have time for anything else, because the next thing she saw was Kara Danvers walking through her office door.

Instantly, Lena felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her. Kara looked as good as she had done in London. She was wearing a sunshine yellow A-line dress, and her hair was half swept up behind her head, leaving some of it to fall in natural curls around her shoulders. She carried a coat over her arm, and she looked nervous.

For a few moments, they did nothing but gaze at each other. Slowly, Lena made her way around her desk and perched on the end of it, never taking her eyes from the blue one that held hers. Kara made her way to the desk and draped her coat over the chair Sam had just vacated.

“Hi,” she breathed.

“Hi,” Lena replied. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“It… wasn’t that hard to find you, to be honest. Did you know that you’re the top google result if you look for Lenas in National City?”

Lena smiled weakly. “I did know that.”

Kara hesitated in front of the desk, and then sat down in Sam’s chair. Lena stayed on the edge of her desk, not sure whether she was comfortable, and tried her best to not fiddle with her fingers. It was her most obvious nervous habit.

“Hey, do you… do you want to sit on the couch instead? It’ll feel less like a business meeting,” Lena said, trying for levity and feeling like she’d failed. She indicated the couch, and they made their way over to it. “Do you want something to drink? Water? …something stronger?”

“No, thank you,” Kara said, before sitting down. Lena sat on the edge of the sofa, far enough away from Kara that they weren’t touching, but close enough to reach for her, if she wanted to. And, oh, did she want to.

Lena watched as Kara’s eyes roamed over her, and she fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest.

“You know,” Kara started, and then stopped, before she shifted a little bit closer. “You look beautiful wearing glasses.”

“What?” Lena said, lifting her hand and touching them self-consciously. That wasn’t what she expected Kara to say at all. Surely the bombshell of her identity would’ve been the first thing on her mind?

“I said, you look beautiful wearing glasses. You look like you did when we first met in those clothes with your hair down, but the glasses… they make you look cute. I like them.”

Lena felt a blush rise up her face at the words. _Of all the things to say_ …

But why was Kara sitting so calmly in her office? As if she wasn’t sitting in front of who she now knew was one of the richest, most powerful people in National City? Her last name gave her more clout, for good or ill, than almost anyone else in the country; it opened almost every door anywhere she chose to go. Not that it was Lena’s choice, but it was what it was. Lena Luthor was a far cry from the frazzled woman in a coffee shop who’d lost her scarf. She was at complete odds with the woman who’d eaten Chinese food out of a box in Camden Market with a near stranger.

No, Lena knew what her reputation was. And now, so did Kara.

As they sat on the sofa together, she felt her nerves grow in size until she was, despite herself, anxiously fidgeting with her fingers. 

“Kara,” she said, taking a deep breath and deciding to point at the elephant in the room. She knew that Kara knew who she was; she couldn’t possibly be in her office at L-Corp if she didn’t, but the fact that Kara was not addressing her identity was slowly killing her. “Kara, my name is Lena Luthor. I’m from _that_ Luthor family,” she stated clearly. She kept her eyes on Kara’s face, waiting to see the reaction she’d receive. Despite the inner turmoil she felt at Kara being here, on her couch, calling her cute, she refused to break eye contact. The instinctive defensiveness over her name was something she’d never been able to rid herself of. Sometimes she found that that defensiveness gave her strength, especially in the boardroom or when meeting new people.

Or, like now.

Lena felt heart sink and her jaw tighten as she watched several emotions flash through Kara’s eyes, but she kept her face as carefully blank as she could do as the seconds passed in silence.

Suddenly, Kara straightened her own back as if she’d made a decision, and then stuck her hand out towards Lena. Lena looked down at it for a moment, and then back up at Kara. She was surprised to see that she was smiling. “It’s very nice to meet you, Lena Luthor,” she said brightly.

Lena let out a breath. “What?” she said again, cursing her apparent loss of vocabulary and feeling more than a little bewildered.

 _Kara was smiling. Kara didn’t leave_.

Kara extended her hand further towards Lena, and Lena slowly lifted her own to shake Kara’s.

“I said, it’s nice to meet you, Lena. What were you expecting? Your face tells me that you thought I was going to say something different,” Kara said, lowering their hands to the couch, but she didn’t let go.

Lena raised an eyebrow. “To be honest, I was expecting you to… I don’t know, shout at me. Or tell me to go fuck myself, or something along those lines. My last name is mud throughout the civilized world.”

Kara looked shocked. “Well, are you a terrorist?”

“Excuse me?” Lena asked, frowning.

“I mean, do you hold the same views as your brother?”

Lena withdrew her hand from Kara’s and this time, she did fold her arms over her chest. “Certainly not.”

“Well then!” Kara exclaimed. “Why would I tell you to- to... um. Your last name isn’t a noose to hang you with. You can’t help who your family is. Didn’t you testify against your brother?”

Lena felt a spark of hope within her chest at Kara’s words. “Yes, I did. And the press crucified me for it. It seemed like I couldn’t do anything right. I still can’t.” Her words came out in a rush. “If I’d said nothing, they would have said I was just the same as him. I was wearing a wire when he told me of his plans and his bombs and… and his defense picked on that as evidence of my duplicity; they called me a snake in the grass. If my last name had been anything other than Luthor, they’d have called that brave.”

“It _was_ brave, Lena,” Kara said, her voice full of conviction. She leaned back in her seat and appraised Lena for a moment. “In the interests of honesty… um,” Kara said, and Lena looked up at the hesitation in Kara’s voice. “It was my cousin’s exposé on Lex that started the FBI investigation into him.”

Lena was astonished. “Your _cousin_ is _Clark Kent_?”

“Yeah. And a lot of the time, there’s no love lost there either,” Kara said, clearing her throat and looking a little embarrassed.

Lena could hardly believe it. Not only was she sitting in front of the first person who hadn’t judged her for a long time, but she also happened to be the cousin of the reporter who had been Lex’s best friend. The man who had stood politely in the corner at Luthor family gatherings. The man who had, after Lex’s downfall, tried to bring Lena herself down in the press, over and over again. They had never actually been friends when he’d hung around Luthor Manor, but they had been friendly and civil; Lena couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t hurt every time a new damning article about her appeared with Clark’s name in the by-line.

“What a small world,” she observed dryly.

Kara gave her an apologetic smile. “Let me just say, for the record, that I have no interest in condemning you for your brother’s actions, Lena. Nor do I share my cousin’s opinions of you.”

Lena felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders at Kara’s words. They still didn’t really know each other. They were virtual strangers, in fact, that had only spent a day together, but the unexpected kindness and the clean slate she was being given, at least with one person, was more than refreshing.

It was everything, when it was being offered by Kara Danvers.

And she knew she had to apologize.

“Kara, I’m sorry that I kind of… ran out on you. Well, not kind of, I did,” she said, twisting her fingers in her lap.

“It’s alright. I understand why you did it,” Kara replied, her voice kind.

“Y-you do?”

“Well, I figured it had to do with all that stuff you said about thinking you weren’t good enough for me,” Kara stated, not taking her eyes off Lena. She scooted even closer. “To be honest, I was kind of mad, and I was upset. I thought that you and I were... I thought we’d… but then I thought about it, and I wanted to tell you, I understand.”

“Kara-”

“And you were right, you know, you didn’t give me a choice, and you should’ve.” Kara held her hands up, when Lena opened her mouth, to say… what? She had no defense here; she’d already said everything back in the Blind Pig. “But what I’m saying is, I understand. Your life can’t have been easy. Your brother is Lex Luthor. Your mother is Lillian Luthor. Your brother is a terrorist, and your mother is, well, who even knows where to start with Lillian Luthor. When I got back to National City, I went straight to Alex and I told her about an amazing girl I met in London. I told Alex that she was funny, smart, intelligent, well-read, well-travelled. I told her that she had this cute thing happen where her Irish accent slipped out, and that I thought she was the most beautiful woman that I’d ever seen.”

As Kara was speaking, Lena’s mortification receded and gave way to a deep blush that spread all the way from her chest up to her face.

“I didn’t know who you were. And then, I showed Alex the wooden block, and she about had a coronary when she saw your face. She recognized you straight away. Don’t worry, I didn’t show her the photos of you pulling a million funny faces at the camera,” Kara said, as if she saw the question written across her face. “Although, I have to say that I… as beautiful as the photo on the wooden block is, I love the ones of you pulling faces more. You look… you look happier.”

Lena felt her heart do something funny in her chest at Kara’s words. She’d looked at those photos more times than she would admit, even to Sam. She closed the distance between herself and Kara on the couch, and pressed herself into Kara’s side. She felt a frisson run through her body as Kara’s warmth washed over her.

“I missed you every day,” Lena murmured, before leaning her head on Kara’s shoulder, just like she’d wanted to back in London. “Every day. Isn’t that strange?”

Kara reached her hand over and picked Lena’s up, and Lena grasped it, interlocking their fingers and setting her free hand on top of their joined ones.

“I missed you too, Lena,” Kara said quietly.

They sat there together for a few moments, content just to be in each other’s space again, and Lena breathed out a happy sigh. Kara squeezed their fingers gently. “I-”

Lena’s phone rang, cutting off whatever Kara was about to say. She huffed out a breath and disentangled herself from Kara. “I’m sorry, I’ll just be one moment,” she said, as she crossed over to it. It was Jess. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry to bother you Miss Luthor, but your Chinese has arrived.”

Across the room, Lena watched as Kara’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be right out, Jess,” she said, and hung up.

Lena walked out of her office, and up to Jess’ desk. Jess’ eyes widened as she realized, at the same time as Lena did, that she’d left her shoes in the office. Oh well. She took the Chinese from the delivery girl, and gave her a $100 tip from the stash she kept in Jess’ desk for just such occasions. The girl’s eyes widened, and she practically skipped back off to the elevator, her night seemingly made.

“I’ll be fine to lock up on my own tonight, Jess,” she said, once she turned back to her assistant.

“Are you sure?” Jess asked, looking exited at the thought of an early finish.

“Yes,” Lena smiled. “Have a good evening.”

“Goodnight, Lena,” Jess said, dropping the decorum as soon as nobody but them was there to listen. Jess wasn’t just her assistant; she was as close to a friend she could have in a business environment. Lena knew that Jess was the one who ordered food in whenever Lena forgot to eat, and was the one who pulled a blanket over her whenever she fell asleep on her couch after staying up way too late working. Lena touched Jess’ arm, and headed back into her office.

Kara was hovering near Lena’s desk, looking only slightly less nervous as she did when she’d first walked in. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw the bags that Lena was carrying. “Is that Auntie Wu’s?” she said excitedly.

Lena held them up and squinted in a show of examining them through her glasses, before she smiled. “Yes. A girl I met recently recommended them to me, and this is the fourth time I’ve ordered from them now.”

“The fourth, huh?” Kara said. “That girl must’ve really known her Chinese food.”

“I guess she must’ve,” Lena said, setting the bags down on her desk.

She was about to start setting the Chinese out on the desk when Kara stopped her with a hand on her arm. Lena had rolled the sleeves of her shirt up earlier, and Kara’s hand on her bare arm made her shiver with pleasure.

“Kara?”

The air around them suddenly felt thicker. They were standing very close together, close enough that Lena felt it when Kara shifted her weight from one foot to another.

“Um, I want to do something, and it’s going to be a bit… okay, wait,” Kara said, nerves appearing in her voice. She rummaged in the pocket of her coat and brought out-

“Is that my hat?” Lena exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Kara said, looking down at the fluffy red bobble hat. “You left it behind at the Blind Pig. You’re always leaving things for me to bring back to you,” she said, looking back up at Lena and smiling.

Lena couldn’t help but smile right back at her. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” Kara said, bringing it up and fitting it on Lena’s head. It clashed horribly with her outfit, but Lena found that she couldn’t bring herself to care, especially not when Kara ran her thumb across Lena’s cheekbone. Lena leaned forward into the touch, but Kara removed her hand, and started looking in her coat pocket again for something else. She found whatever it was and held it behind her back with one hand.

With her other hand, she reached around to rest on Lena’s lower back, before stepping even closer, pressing herself against Lena. Lena sighed at the contact, and snaked one arm around Kara’s waist. She brought her other hand up to rest on Kara’s dress, above her collarbone. This time, it was Kara’s turn to shiver.

“Okay, so,” Kara said, her voice a little shaky, “when we were in London, I thought that we had something, you know? _Something_. And we spent the day together and that night I spent the whole night daydreaming of you. I absolutely burnt two trays of pastries for the next day,” Lena snickered at that, “but from then until now, there was one thing that day that I really wanted to do with you, that we didn’t get to.”

“And, what was that?”

“Something you only do at Christmas, so it’s a little late, but I guess, better late than never,” Kara said, a blush dusting her cheeks. From behind her back, she brought a sprig of mistletoe. She looked at Lena, hope written all over her face, before she lifted it slowly into the air above them.

Lena looked up at it, looked up at the leaves and the berries, and then at Kara.

Kara, who had found a stranger’s scarf, who had spent the day with a sad, lonely girl just to make her smile. Kara, who had liked her as _Lena_ , and who didn’t care that she was Lena _Luthor_.

Kara, who had carried a piece of mistletoe across the city in her pocket and held it above the head of a woman who wanted nothing more than to be loved for who she was.

Lena looked into Kara’s blue eyes, those blue eyes that had captured her so completely the first time she’d seen them back in London. She raised her right hand and slowly ran her fingertips across Kara’s cheekbone, and then her thumb across her lips. She felt Kara’s body start to shake against hers.

Kara bit her lip in response to Lena’s gentle touch, and Lena felt her breath catch as the sight of it, at the knowledge that Kara was just as affected by Lena’s closeness as Lena was by hers. Lena felt like she was in slow motion. It was as if she wanted to burn the memory of this moment into her mind, and just this once, the universe obliged her.

She could feel every place their bodies touched. She could feel Kara’s hand, warm against her shirt, as she brushed soothing strokes across her lower back. Lena could feel Kara’s hair tickle her face as she leaned up to touch their foreheads together. Their noses brush together. She could hear Kara breathing, could _feel_ Kara breathing. This close, the sweet scent of her light perfume was intoxicating, and Lena could feel her breath catching in her throat.

Time stood still as Lena lost herself in the sensations of Kara’s presence. Green eyes met blue and held them. She trailed her fingertips along Kara’s upper arm, across her shoulders, and slid her hand upwards until her thumb was behind Kara’s ear, her fingers digging into blonde hair. Her skin was warm, and Lena didn’t think she’d ever stood so intimately with someone before. She heard Kara swallow.

“Lena,” Kara breathed, her voice throaty.

She wasted no more time.

Lena closed the short distance between them. As she brushed Kara’s lips with hers in a soft kiss, she felt Kara sigh against her, and the hand on her back pulled her closer. Kara’s kiss was slow, and Lena heard the mistletoe hit the ground as Kara dropped it; a moment later, she felt both of Kara’s hands on her cheeks. Kara parted her lips and kissed her again, and again, as Kara held Lena’s face tenderly in her hands.

At the first touch of Kara’s tongue on her lips, she heard Kara make a soft sound at the back of her throat. Her hand tightened in the silky blonde hair, and she whispered Kara’s name before she let her in. Her lips were impossibly soft, and she tasted of vanilla, just as Lena had thought she would. Their kisses deepened, but stayed slow and reverential, as if Kara wanted to tell her she was as special as she was making her feel.

Lena lost herself in the sensation of being kissed, for the first time, as if she were being cherished.

Lena pressed herself as close as she could to her sunshine girl. In the softly-lit office, on a quiet January evening, Lena surrendered quietly to Kara’s gentle kisses.

And just like that, all the Christmas wishes Lena Luthor had ever made came true.

**Author's Note:**

> Mistletoe inspired by something that actually happened to me :)


End file.
